In this thread, the hockey Dopers showed their faces… and it made me look into things. Sure enough, next season’s schedules are posted! I’m in SC, and the closest team to me is the Thrashers. I think other Dopers are nearby as well. I see that a few of the games are on Saturdays, which work best for all involved, I bet. I just wish they’d post Pre-season, as those are usually cheaper.
Gimme thoughts, folks.
Hey! Lookit that! I’m still game!
Tripler
You could have left it in the last thread y’know. Cause pirates and hockey go to gether like Ike and Tina (and fights break out just the same).
Don’t know what part of SC you’re in, but there is a minor league team, the SPHL Pee Dee Cyclones, in Florence.
I’m up for a hockey Dopefest if the Snakes aren’t playing at home that night!
I’m up for it at some indefinite point in the future–I really miss going to hockey games, and I still have never been to an NHL game except one free preseason game in Phoenix for local elementary school kids that I begged my way into. I don’t have the means to travel over there right now, though, and I don’t foresee having them any time in the near future–maybe later this year, but I’ve already told some Canadian friends that my next NHL travel will be up north to see their team. (I’ve been meaning to hit up Vancouver and Calgary forever, anyway.)
Anyone up for a “Smog or Shine” LA/Orange County hockey tour in the meantime, though? Off the top of my head I would figure the Kings and Ducks of the NHL and the Long Beach Ice Dogs of the ECHL would be included. We could even get crazy and see the San Jose Sharks or the Phoenix Coyotes.
Any GA Dopers have word on pre-season?
I don’t know, but I have an excuse: I just got here.
But I will keep my eyes and ears open, and will find something for all. . .
Hell, it may be that I rent some ice for us all and we play each other! 
Tripler
Although, I will promise that if we do get drunk, we all get a turn on the Zamboni.
I’ll bring the octopi & we’ll practice throwing, a la Al Sobotka!
Tell you the truth, it would probably be cheaper to rent ice to mess around on plus the cost of drinks as compared to an NHL game!
SnakesCatLady is the number one fan of the Columbus Cottonmouths, so maybe she’ll have some pre-season info. The only hockey game I have ever been to was, surprisingly enough, a Cottonmouths game a few years back. That was before SCL showed up. Anyhoo… we keep talking about it, so I need to get up to the big C for a snakes game. I think a doper get together for a hockey game would be fun. I don’t know squat about the game but I had a great time. It was kinda like pro wrasslin’ with sticks!
I’m down for some broomball for sure.
The Dope Hive Mind just needs to pay for my plane ticket.
Back in Detroit, we rented a curliing club for a three hour lesson, that was The Most Fun Ever.
The Cottonmouths season starts October 27. We have a pre-season exhibition game against Huntsville on the 20th or 21st, it’s not nailed down yet. We play them here one night and in Huntsville the other.
2006-2007 Home Game Schedule
Friday, October 27, 2006 PDee@ Col
Sunday, November 05, 2006 Hunt @ Col
Friday, November 17, 2006 Jax @ Col
Saturday, November 18, 2006 PDee @ Col
Thursday, November 23, 2006 Knox @ Col
Saturday, November 25, 2006 Fla @ Col
Friday, December 01, 2006 Jax @ Col
Friday, December 15, 2006 Rich @ Col
Saturday, December 16, 2006 Hunt @ Col
Thursday, December 21, 2006 Fay @ Col
Saturday, December 23, 2006 Knox @ Col
Tuesday, December 26, 2006 Fla @ Col
Thursday, January 04, 2007 Rich @ Col
Friday, January 05, 2007 Knox @ Col
Friday, January 26, 2007 Fla @ Col
Saturday, January 27, 2007 PDee @ Col
Friday, February 02, 2007 Hunt @ Col
Saturday, February 03, 2007 Jax @ Col
Saturday, February 10, 2007 Fay @ Col
Sunday, February 18, 2007 Knox @ Col
Thursday, February 22, 2007 Hunt @ Col
Saturday, February 24, 2007 Jax @ Col
Friday, March 02, 2007 Fla @ Col
Saturday, March 03, 2007 Rich @ Col
Thursday, March 08, 2007 Jax @ Col
Friday, March 16, 2007 Hunt @ Col
Saturday, March 17, 2007 Fay @ Col
I would love to take curling lessons, too. Count me in the next time we make a Dopefest out of that.
Thanks for posting the schedule! I know it’s hard to think of hockey when it’s almost a hundred degrees out, but I hope we DopeFest sooner than later.
You see, I pitched curling lessons at my intended North Dakota DopeFest, but nobody wanted to take me up on it. 
Just remember, “CURLING ROCKS!”
Tripler
And your mother always said you were never supposed to huck rocks into the house!
Since I’m on the Exec. Board of the Booster Club this year, I’m thinking and talking hockey year-round! We’re already planning a golf fund-raiser and the meet-and-greet party. Our booster club has outgrown the venues we formerly used for our parties, so we’re scouting out new locations. We’re also collecting stuff for the apartments (the team rents the apartments and leases furniture, the BC provides dishes, pots n pans, towels, sheets, start-up cleaning supplies, etc.) Most of these kids are fresh out of college and they don’t make a lot of money at this level, so we try to help make them comfortable. I also bought a game-worn jersey on e-bay and have a trade for another in the works. Hockey Withdrawal Syndrome hasn’t been nearly as bad this year!
I kid you not, I am the most fantastically uncoordinated person who’s ever walked the earth, and I found that I was good at curling! It’s quite alright to fall, so I’m covered; you don’t get any benefit in curling from big muscles, and I’m a skinny wimp. My freakishly long arms and thin wrists FINALLY put themselves to good use in the aiming of the stones. And can I sweep! Recently, I got to do some Belgian feather bowling.
Never in my life, especially after spending a small handful of months waking up at the crack of dawn to scrub pigeon shit at Lackland AFB, did I think I’d ever wish I was in the South.
Dang, I missed this thread earlier! Here’s the Atlanta Thrashers pre-season schedule (home games):
Wed. Sept. 20 Florida Philips Arena 7:00 p.m.
Sat. Sept. 23 St. Louis Philips Arena 7:00 p.m.
Fri. Sept. 29 Nashville Philips Arena 7:30 p.m.
And there’s always the Gwinnett Gladiators. They made the playoffs in their league last year.
I wanna ride the zamboni.
I have! There’s a box at Fan Relations where you can enter your name to get a chance to ride the Zamboni between periods. That think is moving faster than you think it is! It was fun!
I made a road trip a few years ago to watch the Snakes play Gwinette when we were in the ECHL. They have a fabulous barn!
I do hope we can get a hockey Dopefest going!
As I discovered yesterday, I’m 5 hours from ATL, so the Saturday game’s my only shot w/o having to take a day off work.
There’s always renting ice…